When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
When the low beam lights are turned on the left low beam, left high beam are very dim and the right low beam is normal and high beam is very dim. When the high beam lights are turned on the left low beam and high beam are still very dim while the right high beam is normal and right low beam is off as it should be. All was fine up until last night. I swapped low beam bulbs and still same problem. I checked fuses 10 and 12 and both are good, 10 amp fuses. Lamp motors open and close as they should. Any member have similar issues with the headlamp, if so what is the fix.
Did you check the grounds for both headlight assemblies ??…are the bulb contacts clean at the connector ??…grounds are more critical than power !!…as you can see in the picture G101 and G102 (behind the headlight buckets) are the grounds on pin L for 101 and pin B for 102…you can remove both bulb connectors and with a test light connected to battery POSITIVE probe the black wire with the tip of the test light…if the bulb is dim you will have to go to G101 and G102 and look there for corrosion !!…it’s strange that not all high and low beams are dim !!…OEM lights draw a little over 4 AMPS so when checking grounds instead of a 12 volt test light which only draws less than .5 amps it’s better to use a bulb that draws the same current on that circuit !!…that 4 AMPS has to get back to the battery !!
I ran 12 volts from the battery directly into the 5 pin male harness, 2 pins for low/hi beams, 2 pins for the motor and 1 pin for ground. Both low/hi beams work fine telling us the male side of the harness is good. The nuts/bolts are pretty well rusted at the grounding points. just hit them with WD40. Well checks grounding points in the morning. Will keep you posted. Thanking you again.
You were spot on with the grounding issue just didn't go the way I planned it. The nut/bolt was so rusted that it striped in seconds which brought me to the 4 lb. hammer and chisel. After 10/12 swings with the hammer just for ***** and giggles I turned the lights on and both low and high beams work as they should. I spayed the connector with WD-40 and will finish the job once I order and have a new connector in hand. I don't want any issues once I have the connector off the car. I deeply appreciate the time you afforded me. Respectively, Robert.
Good Show !!...the bolt is welded to the frame so as long as you can get the nut off and remove the connector, get the comb removed (PITA sometimes) and clean it and look at the other half where your wires are you should be OK...I like using Deoxit as a cleaner and "connection enhancer"...good idea to take a wire brush to the bolt and get it as clean as you can before reinstalling the connector !!...BTW, if you had this issue last summer I lived about 20 minutes south of you before retiring down here to Florida !!
That was my next question, how is the bolt mounted. The nut/bolt was so grossly rusted they started to deteriorate and the bolt snapped off leaving the nut behind on just a small stem. Not knowing it was welded I was hoping to drill it out and use a tap for a new one. I guess I could have another welded in place or drill and tap in just a bolt. What do you think?
I have a slightly different problem with my 98 C5. Over a period of time (weeks maybe) my low beams got gradually dimmer until they are now completely off. The high beams come on, but they are dim. The flash to pass high beams are working and the headlight buckets work properly and there are no other electronic faults in the vehicle. I checked codes in the DIC and there are no current codes. After reading about ground points in this and other threads, I took the 101 and 102 points apart. Althought there was no corrosion at all, I cleaned them up and applied dielectric compound to the male side and to the attaching plate. This did not solve the problem. I put LED headlights in several years ago which have worked fine until now. The low beam lights have the load resistor to enable the buckets to work properly and eliminate flickering. Thinking that this might smehow be the problem, I took the LED low beams out and put the factory halogens back in. No luck
I have a slightly different problem with my 98 C5. Over a period of time (weeks maybe) my low beams got gradually dimmer until they are now completely off. The high beams come on, but they are dim. The flash to pass high beams are working and the headlight buckets work properly and there are no other electronic faults in the vehicle. I checked codes in the DIC and there are no current codes. After reading about ground points in this and other threads, I took the 101 and 102 points apart. Althought there was no corrosion at all, I cleaned them up and applied dielectric compound to the male side and to the attaching plate. This did not solve the problem. I put LED headlights in several years ago which have worked fine until now. The low beam lights have the load resistor to enable the buckets to work properly and eliminate flickering. Thinking that this might smehow be the problem, I took the LED low beams out and put the factory halogens back in. No luck
Welcome to the Forum !!...can you do us a favor and start a NEW post with your concern instead of hijacking this one....also it's a good idea to fill in your member profile...model year, mods, tune, transmission type etc...location is helpful too...if you have a DVOM and know how to use it and also having a 12 volt test light helps.
98 Base Electrical Headlamp Problem
